Controllo sempre l’etichetta della confezione prima di comprare un prodotto nuovo.

Yes, controllo can be a noun in other contexts, but here it is the first-person singular present tense of controllare.

• controllare = to check
• controllo = I check

Italian often leaves out the subject pronoun, so Controllo already means I check without needing io.

• (Io) controllo sempre... = I always check...

As a noun, un controllo means something like a check, an inspection, a control, a check-up, but that is not what is happening in this sentence.

Because Italian normally drops subject pronouns when they are not needed.

The verb ending already tells you who the subject is:

• controllo = I check
• controlli = you check
• controlla = he/she checks

So Io controllo sempre... is possible, but io is usually omitted unless you want to:

• add emphasis
• create contrast
• avoid confusion

For example:

• Io controllo sempre, lui no. = I always check, he doesn’t.

Because of elision.

The normal feminine singular definite article is la, but before a word beginning with a vowel, Italian usually drops the a and adds an apostrophe:

• la + etichetta → l’etichetta

This is very common:

• l’amica
• l’idea
• l’acqua

So l’etichetta is simply the correct form before a vowel sound.

Della confezione means of the package / of the packaging.

Della is a combination of:

• di = of
• la = the

So:

• di + la → della

This structure is extremely common in Italian.

Examples:

• il colore della macchina = the color of the car
• la porta della casa = the door of the house

In your sentence:

• l’etichetta della confezione = the label on/of the package

In natural English, we often say the label on the package, even though Italian literally uses of the package here.

Confezione is a flexible word that often refers to the package, pack, or packaging of a product.

Depending on context, it could mean:

• the physical package
• the container
• the retail packaging

So in this sentence, etichetta della confezione suggests the label attached to the product’s packaging.

It does not mean confection in the English sense. Even though the words look similar, they are not used the same way.

Because that is a very natural position for an adverb like sempre in Italian.

• Controllo sempre l’etichetta... = I always check the label...

Italian adverb placement is somewhat flexible, but this order is one of the most common and neutral ones.

You may also hear variations, depending on emphasis:

• Controllo sempre l’etichetta.
• Controllo l’etichetta sempre. — possible, but less natural in most neutral contexts
• Sempre controllo l’etichetta. — marked, poetic, or emphatic

For a learner, verb + sempre is a very safe and natural pattern.

Because after prima when you mean before doing something, Italian normally uses di + infinitive.

So:

• prima di comprare = before buying
• literally: before to buy

This is the standard structure.

Examples:

• prima di uscire = before going out
• prima di mangiare = before eating
• prima di decidere = before deciding

If a full clause follows, you usually use prima che + subjunctive:

• prima che io compri un prodotto nuovo...

But in your sentence, since the subject is the same and the action is expressed with an infinitive, prima di comprare is the normal choice.

Both comprare and acquistare can mean to buy.

The main difference is usually one of register:

• comprare = more common, everyday, conversational
• acquistare = a bit more formal, sometimes more business-like or written

So:

• prima di comprare un prodotto nuovo sounds very natural in everyday Italian
• prima di acquistare un prodotto nuovo is also correct, but slightly more formal

In many contexts, they are interchangeable.

Because Italian usually needs an article here.

• un prodotto nuovo = a new product

Just as in English you would normally say a new product, Italian uses the indefinite article un for a singular countable noun.

So:

• comprare un prodotto nuovo = to buy a new product

Leaving out the article would generally sound incomplete or unnatural in standard Italian.

Yes, it can go before the noun, but the meaning can change slightly.

In Italian, adjective position often affects nuance.

• un prodotto nuovo usually means a brand-new product
• un nuovo prodotto often means a new product in the sense of a different/newly introduced product

So there is a useful contrast:

• Ho comprato un prodotto nuovo. = I bought a brand-new product.
• Ho comprato un nuovo prodotto. = I bought a new/different product.

In your sentence, un prodotto nuovo strongly suggests that the product is new, not used.

Yes, both are grammatically correct, but they may shift tone or meaning slightly.

• prima di acquistare = more formal than prima di comprare
• un nuovo prodotto can suggest a different/newly introduced product
• un prodotto nuovo more clearly suggests a brand-new product

So these are all possible:

• Controllo sempre l’etichetta della confezione prima di comprare un prodotto nuovo.
• Controllo sempre l’etichetta della confezione prima di acquistare un prodotto nuovo.
• Controllo sempre l’etichetta della confezione prima di comprare un nuovo prodotto.

The original version is very natural and especially good if the idea is a product that is new.

Its basic meaning is label, especially a label on clothing, food, cosmetics, packaging, and so on.

However, in some contexts etichetta can also mean:

• etiquette
• social formalities

For example:

• le regole di etichetta = rules of etiquette

But in your sentence, because of della confezione, it clearly means a physical label on the product packaging.

Yes. Controllo sempre... is in the simple present, and here it describes a habitual action:

• I always check the label...

Italian uses the present tense very often for routines and habits, just like English does here.

Other examples:

• Leggo sempre prima di dormire. = I always read before sleeping.
• Bevo caffè ogni mattina. = I drink coffee every morning.

So this sentence means the speaker does this regularly, not just right now.